Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lambasted the uncharacteristic sense of complacency which gripped his side during their disappointing 1–1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen, repeating how the team “knew” the dangers posed by their Champions League rivals yet still gave into them.
The Gunners were fortunate to escape the first leg of their last-16 tie in Leverkusen with a draw. After a listless first half, the hosts took a deserved lead within a minute of the restart from a well-worked corner. Kai Havertz converted an 89th-minute penalty against his boyhood side to snatch a share of the spoils but Arteta’s mood was suitably dour.
